MANGOES - PLANTING, GROWING AND VARIETIES

PROPAGATION

Mangoes are raised from seed or
propagated vegetatively. Propagation from seed, though easy and cheap,
is unable to perpetuate characters of the parent tree because most
commercial varieties in India are cross-pollinated and monoembryonic.
Plants also take more time to bear fruit. Accordingly, several methods
of vegetative propagation have been tried with varying degree of
success. However, it is essential to raise seedlings to be used as
rootstocks. For this purpose, stones should be sown in June-July in beds
mixed with well decomposed farm yard manure at the rate of 8-10 tonnes
per hectare. Alternatively, 25 kg nitrogen (N) per ha may be applied in
the form of urea, CAN or any other available inorganic source in two
split doses at about two months interval after the leaves have become
green. When the seedlings attain the age of 2-3 months, they should be
transplanted well in prepared beds or pots one transplanting should be
given in well prepared beds or pots. In this season, proper care should
be exercised in irrigating the young transplanted seedlings. The
seedlings should also be protected from frost by putting the pots under
big trees or thatching the young seedlings in the field.

Plants are generally propagated
using random seedling rootstocks. The polyembryonic rootstocks, however,
have shown a promise in producing plants of uniform size and vigour.
Moreover, these rootstocks have indicated possibility of inducing
dwarfing and earlier bearing and are under test. Various methods
employed in vegetative propagation of mango are described below :

a) Inarching :
The method of inarching or approach grafting is quite cumbersome and
time consuming, but it is still the leading method for commercial
propagation of mango plants. The method consists of uniting the selected
shoot (scion) of a desired parent tree (mother plant) with the potted or
transplanted seedling (rootstock) by approach grafting. For this
purpose, about one-year-old seedlings are most suitable when they attain
a height of about 30-45 cm and thickness ranging from 0.75 to 1.5 cm.
These seedlings are either grown in pots or under the mother plant from
which the grafts are to be prepared, depending upon the availability of
suitable branches. Generally, a one-year-old twig of the scion tree
about 60 cm in length and nearly of the same thickness as that of the
stock is chosen for grafting. Young and non-bearing trees should not be
selected as mother plants.

Inarching should be done during the growing
period when the tree is in active sap flow condition termed as active
growth period. A hot and very dry period, as well as heavy rainfall
during the inarching period is not suitable. The end of the monsoon in
heavy rainfall areas and early monsoon in the light rainfall areas is
the best period for inarching. In north India, July is the best month
for inarching. In the more equitable climate of south India, the
operation can be done any time between July and February.

A thin slice of bark and wood, about 5 cm
in length, 7.5 mm width and 2 mm deep, is removed by means of a sharp
grafting knife from the stem of the stock as well as from the scion
branch. The dimensions can be proportionately increased or decreased
according to the thickness of the stock and scion. The cuts thus made
should be absolutely flat, clean, boat shaped, even and smooth. The ends
of these cuts should be round and not angular. The cut surfaces of both,
i.e., stock and scion are made to coincide facing each other so
that there remains no hollow space between the two. These are then
tightly tied by polythene / alkathene strips of about 1.5 cm in width
and preferably of 200 gauge thickness, which has proved to be a good
tying material.

After about one month of operation, the
scion below the graft union and stock above the graft union should be
given light ‘V’ shape cuts at weekly intervals such that grafts can
finally be detached while giving the fourth cut. In the last stage, the
top of the stock above graft union should also be removed completely.

b) Veneer grafting :
This method of propagation possesses promise for mass scale commercial
propagation. The method is simple and can be adopted with success. The
rootstocks as mentioned, for inarching are suitable for this method
also. For conducting this grafting operation, a downward and inward
30-40 mm long cut is made in the smooth area of the stock at a height of
about 20 cm. At the base of cut, a small shorter cut is given to
intersect the first so as to remove the piece of wood and bark. The
scion stick is given a long slanting cut on one side and a small short
cut on the other so as to match the cuts of the stock. The scion is
inserted in the stock so that the cambium layers come on the longer
side. The graft union is then tied with polythene strip as recommended
for inarching. After the scion takes and remains green for more than 10
days the rootstock should be clipped in stages.

The scion wood to be used for veneer
grafting requires proper preparation. The desired shoots should be
defoliated at least one week prior to grafting so that the dormant buds
in the axis of leaves become swollen. The best time for this method is
the same for different regions as for inarching.

c) Budding :
Although success of budding in mango was reported in the beginning of
this century, budding still continues to remain in experimental stage as
far as commercial mango propagation is concerned.

d) Stone Epicotyl
grafting : Mango is generally propagated by inarchig and veneer
grafting. These methods are time consuming. Stone epicotyl grafting is a
new technique of mango propagation. This method is simple, cheap and
quick. Fresh mango stones are sown in the nursery beds. After
germination, seedlings with tender stems having coppery leaves are
lifted with stones still attached. The roots and stones are dipped in
0.1 per cent Bavistin solution for 5 minutes after washing the soil. The
seedling stems are headed back leaving 6-8 cm long stem. A 4-6 cm
longitudinal cut is made running down through the middle of the stem. A
wedge shaped cut starting on both sides is made on the lower part of
scion stick. The scion stick should be 4-6 months old and 10-15 cm long
containing plumpy terminal buds. The scion stick is then inserted in the
cleft of the seedlings and tied with polythene strips. The grafts are
then planted in polyethylene bags containing potting mixture. The bags
are then kept in the shade protecting from heavy rain. When the scion
sprouts and the leaves become green, the grafted plants should be
planted in nursery beds. July is the most suitable month for stone
grafting.

e) Soft-wood grafting
: The technique of soft-wood grafting is similar to that of cleft or
wedge grafting. In this case, grafting is done on newly emerged flush
having bronze coloured leaves and stem. This method is useful in in-situ
grafting. The scion wood to be used should be defoliated 10 days prior
to the frafting and having same thickness as that of terminal shoot. The
graft should be secured firmly using 1.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm long, 200
gauge polythene strip. July and August are the best months for soft-wood
grafting.

f) Air layering :
Air layering can be done successfully in mango using IBA or NAA 10,000
ppm in lanolin paste. Success up to 50 per cent has also been obtained
by using Seradix-B as root promoter. The air-layers can be used for
permanent planting or for raising uniform rootstocks.

PLANTING

Prior to planting, field should be deeply
ploughed, harrowed and leveled. Pits of proper size should be dug at
appropriate distances and filled by adding sufficient quantity of farm
yard manure. The grafts to be planted should be procured from reliable
nurseries few days before actual transplanting.

a) Time of planting
: The best time for planting all over India is during the monsoon when
there is sufficient moisture in the atmosphere. In the area, of heavy
rainfall, the best time of planting mango is the end of the rainy
season. In tracts where the rainfall is less, the planting can be done
in the early part of the monsoon for better establishment. The planting
should be done in the evening, otherwise if the day turns out to be
unusually hot or dry, the plants may wither due to excessive loss of
water. If the sky is overcast, planting can be done during day time
also.

b) Planting distance
: The planting distance varies according to variety, the fertility level
of the soil and general growth conditions in the area. Where the growth
is excessive, the distance should be 12 x 12 m, but in the dry zones
where the growth is less, it can be regulated to about 10 x 10 m. For
high density planting, the distance can be 5 x 3 or 5 x 2.5 or 3 x 2.5
or 2.5 x 2.5 meter.

c) Size of pits :
In locations where the soil is loamy and deep, pits of 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 m
be dug at desired distances. However, in shallow and hill soils, the
pits should at last be of 1 x 1 x 1 m size.

d) Filling of pits
: The pits should be filled with the original soil mixed with 50 kg well
rotten farm yard manure. In the top two-third portion, the proportion of
the manure and soil may be kept as 1:3. If the soil is having
infestation of white ants, 200-250 g of aldrex or BHC dust may also be
mixed.

In case of stony soils, it is better to
remove all the stones from the excavated material and remaining soils
should be mixed with soil scrapped from the left over area and FYM. The
pits should invariably be filled before the rainy season, so that there
is maximum settling down before the advent of heavy rainfall and much
before planting.

e) Planting of grafts
: The plant with its ball of earth intact should be taken out of the
soil or pot. The plant can then be placed with the help of a planting
board in the centre of the pit by excavating as much soil as necessary
to accommodate the root-ball. The moist soil of the pit is then pressed
all around the root ball to complete the the planting process. A small
basin is then made and the plant is properly watered. The planting
should not be done so deep as to bury the graft-union in the soil or so
high as to expose the upper roots. It is always better to adjust it at
the same height/depth at which it was in the pot or the nursery bed.

f) Training and
pruning : Normally, mango trees require very less or no pruning.
However, the training of the plants in the initial stages is very
essential to give them proper shape. Specially when the graft has
branched too low, the process of training becomes very important. At
least 75 cm of the main stem should be kept free from branching and the
first leader / main branch may be allowed after that. The main branches
should be spaced in such a way that they grow in different directions
and are at least 20-25 cm apart, otherwise there are chances of breakage
due to smaller crotch angles and heavy top.

The branches which exhibit tendency of
crossing and rubbing each other should be removed in the pencil
thickness stage, otherwise they break by rubbing each other at a later
stage and create complications. Secondly, if the centre is closed the
fruits produced are of poor quality having less colouration in the
absence of sufficient sunlight.

By following the above practice and after
giving proper shape to the trees, there will be very less scope for
future pruning except removal of diseased, pest infested or dried shoots
/ wood.

FERTILIZER
REQUIREMENTSNutrient uptake in mango is from large
volume of soils. Therefore, it is able to sustain growth even in low
fertility soils. But, its efficient management involves the
replenishment of the nutrients used-up by the tree for its growth and
maintenance, harvested produce and natural losses from soils through
leaching and run of. Even the under-nourished trees can be revived by
suitable supplementation of nutrients through fertilizers. The idea of
manuring bearing trees is also to secure regular fruiting.
Recommendations based on very limited research and also on experience
gained by the orchardists are given below.a) Quantity of
fertilizer : Manuring mango plant starts right from planting
operation in the orchard. First application is made at the time of
filling of the pits (refer item 6 d). Fertilizer application during the
first year of planting may be given as 100 g N, 50 g P2O5
and 100 g K2O per plant.Above dose should be increased every year
up to 10 years in the multiple of first year’s dose. Accordingly, a
10-year-old tree should receive 1 kg N, 500 g P2O5 and
1 kg K2O. This dose should be continued to be applied in
subsequent years also. Application of 50 kg well-decomposed organic
manure should be given four yearly to create proper soil physical
environment. For trench application of fertilizers, 400 g each of N and
K2O and 200 g of P2O5 per plant should
be given.The application of micronutrients is not
recommended as a routine. Need based supplimentations are essential when
these become limiting factor for production. It is advisable to apply
micronutrients through foliar sprays.b) Time of fertilizer
application : Fertilizers may be applied in two split doses, one
half immediately after the harvesting of fruits in June / July and the
other half in October, in both young and old orchards, followed by
irrigation if there are no rains. Foliar application of 3 per cent urea
in sandy soils is recommended before flowering.c) Method of
fertilizer application : First of all, the weeds should be
removed from basins. The mixture of recommended dose of fertilizers
should be broadcast under the canopy of plant leaving about 50 cm from
tree trunk in old trees. The applied fertilizer should be amalgamated
well up to the dept of 15 cm soil.To increase fertilizer use efficiency,
fertilizers should be applied in 25 cm wide and 25-30 cm deep trenches
dug around the tree 2 m away from trunk.

IRRIGATIONAmount and frequency of irrigation depends
upon the type of soil, prevailing climatic conditions, especially
rainfall to be given, and its distribution and age of trees. No
irrigation is required during the monsoon months unless there are long
spells of drought. During the first year when the plants are very young
with shallow root system, they should be watered every 2-3 days in the
dry season. Trees in the age group of 2-5 years should be irrigated at
4-5 days interval. The irrigation interval could be increased to 10-15
days for 5-8 years old plants during dry season. When trees are in full
bearing stage, generally 2-3 irrigations are given after the fruit set.
Profuse irrigation during 2-3 months proceeding the flowering season is
not advisable. Irrigation should be given at 50 per cent field capacity.

Generally, intercrops are grown during the
early years of plantation and hence frequency and method of irrigation
has to be adjusted accordingly. It is advisable to irrigate the mango
plants in basins around them which can be connected in series or to the
irrigation channel in the center of rows. The intercrops need to be
irrigated independently as per their specific requirements. In
monocropping of mango also, basin irrigation is preferable with a view
to economise water use.

INTERCULTURE

Interculture in orchards is necessary for
the proper upkeep of mango plantation. The removal of weeds not only
avoids the competition for essential nutrients but also creates better
physical soil environment for plant growth, particularly root
development. It also helps in water movement in soil and in controlling
some of the insect pests. Moreover, it ensures proper incorporation of
the applied plant nutrients in soil and reduces their loss. Frequency
and the time of interculture operations vary with age of the orchards
and existence of intercrops.

Immediately after planting the mango, the
weed problem may not exist, but it is advisable to break the crust with
hand hoe each time after 10-15 irrigations. However, subsequent hoeing
may be done depending on weed growth in the basin. If the intercrops are
not being raised in the pre-bearing stage due to some reasons, the area
between the basins should be ploughed at least three times a year, i.e.,
pre-monsoon, post-monsoon and in the last week of November.

Interculture operations are equally
important for the bearing mango orchards. First ploughing should be done
before the onset of rains. This will help in checking run-off losses and
facilitate maximum retention of water in the soil. Orchard may be
ploughed again after the rainy season is over in order to supress weed
growth and to break capillaries. Third ploughing may be done in the last
week of November or first week of December with a view to checking the
population of mango mealy bugs.

INTERCROPPING

Mango orcharding provides an opportunity
for utilizing the land space to its maximum during initial years (up to
8-10 years) of establishment. Due to wide spacing and developing root
patterns, the large unutilized interspace can be exploited for growing
inter and mixed crops successfully. The soil fertility can also be
maintained / enhanced by careful selection of intercrops and adequate
management of the orchard. This enables the orchardists to raise extra
income during the years when the main crop yields no / low returns.
However, selection of intercrops depends on agroclimatic region,
marketing facilities, levels of inputs and other local considerations.
It is always advisable to avoid tall growing exhaustive crops like
maize, sugarcane, bajara, etc. Some fertility restoring crops
like legumes and leguminous cover crops should be included into the
intercropping patterns. The partial shade loving crops like pineapple,
ginger, turmeric, etc. can be grown in fully grown orchards. In
addition to field crops, some short duration, less exhaustive and dwarf
type inter-fillers like papaya, guava, peach, plum, etc. can also
be grown till these do not interfere with the main mango crop. These
inter-fillers can be selected depending on region and other
considerations. Leguminous crops of like greengram, blackgram, gram;
etc., cereals like wheat; oilseeds like mustard, sesame and groundnut
and vegetables crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, potato,
brinjal, cucumber, pumpkin, bittergourd, tinda, lady’s finger, etc.
and spices like chillies can be successfully grown as intercrops. Some
of important crop rotations recommended are as follows :

In general, 40-45 years old mango trees
exhibit decline in fruit yield because of dense and overcrowded canopy.
The trees do not get proper sunlight resulting in decreased production
of shoots. New emerging shoots are weak and are unsuitable for flowering
and fruiting. the population of insects and pests builts up and the
incidence of diseases increases in such orchards. These unproductive
trees can be converted into productive ones by pruning with the
technique developed at the Institute.

Intermingling, diseased and dead branches
are removed. Thereafter undesirable branches of unproductive trees are
marked. At the end of December, these marked branches are beheaded at
1.5 to 2.0 meter from distal end and the cut portions are pasted with
copper oxychloride solution. During March-April, a number of new shoots
emerge around cut portions of the pruned branches. Only 8 to 10 healthy
and outward growing shoots are retained at proper distance so that a
good frame-work is developed in the following years. These rejuvenated
trees are fertilized with 2.5 kg urea, 3.0 kg single superphosphate and
1.5 kg muriate of potash per plant. The half dose of fertilizers is
applied in the month of February and the other half at the end of June.
the plants are irrigated at an interval of 15 days especially in the
months of April, May and June for healthy growth of new shoots. In the
first week of July 150 kg of compost per tree is also applied. Unwanted
emerging new shoots are regularly removed to maintain the tree canopy
and avoiding recrowding of the branches. It also helps in getting proper
rourishment to retained shoots. After two years of pruning new shoots
come into bearing and the yield of fruit increases gradually. Thus, old
and unproductive trees are convered in to productive ones.

Mango (Mangifera indica
L.) is the most important fruit of India. It is grown over an area
of 1.23 million hectares in the country producing 10.99 million tonnes. It
accounts for 22.1 per cent of total area (5.57 million ha) and 22.9 per
cent of total production of fruits (47.94 million tonnes) in the country.
Though Uttar Pradesh has the largest area of 0.27 million hectares under
mango, Andhra Pradesh has the highest productivity of 12 tonnes per
hectare. While Andhra Pradesh produces 3.07 million tonnes of mango, U.P.,
Bihar and Karnataka produce 2.39, 1.79 and 0.92 million tonnes,
respectively. India ranks first among world’s mango producing countries
accounting for 52.63 per cent of the total world’s mango production of
19 million tonnes.

CLIMATE

Mango is very well adapted to
tropical and subtropical climates. It thrives well in almost all the
regions of the country from sea level to an altitude of 1500 m, i.e., from
Cape Comerin to Himalayas. However, it cannot be grown commercially in
areas above 600 m. Temperature, rainfall, wind velocity and altitude are
the main climatic factors which influence its growth and fruiting. It
cannot stand severe frost, especially when the tree is young. High
temperature by itself is not so injurious to mango, but in combination
with low humidity and high winds, affects the trees adversely.

Most of the mango varieties thrive
in places with good rainfall (75 to 375 cm per annum) and dry season. The
distribution of rainfall is more important than its amount. Dry weather
before blossoming is conducive to profuse flowering. Rain during flowering
is detrimental to the crop as it interferes with pollination. However,
rain during fruit development is good but heavy rains cause damage to
ripening fruits. Strong winds and cyclones during the fruiting season can
play havoc as they cause excessive fruit drop.

SOIL

Mango grows well on wide variety of
soils, such as lateritic, alluvial, sandy loam and sandy. Although it
grows very well in high to medium fertility soils, its cultivation can be
made successful even in low fertility soils by appropriate management
especially during early stages of growth. Very poor and stony soils on
hill slopes should, however, be avoided. The loamy, alluvial, well
drained, aerated and deep soils rich in organic matter with a pH range of
5.5 to 7.5 are most for mango cultivation. The extremely sandy, shallow,
rocky, water-logged, heavy textured and alkaline or calcareous soils are
not suitable for mango cultivation.

VARIETIES

There are more than thousand mango
varieties in India. However, only about 30 varieties are grown on
commercial scale in different states.Important mango varieties cultivated
in different states of India

States

Varieties

Andhra
Pradesh

Banganpalli,
Bangalora,Cherukurasam, Himayuddin, Suvarnarekha

Bihar

Bombai,
Langra, Fazri, Himsagar, Kishen Bhog, Sukul, Bathua

Goa

Fernandin,
Mankurad, Alphonso

Gujarat

Alphonso,
Kesar, Rajapuri, Vanraj

Haryana

Dashehari,
Langra, Bombay Green

Karnataka

Alphonso,
Bangalora, Mulgoa, Neelum, Pairi

Kerala

Mundappa,
Olour, Pairi

Madhya
Pradesh

Alphonso,
Bombai, Langra and mostly seedling types

Maharashtra

Alphonso,
Kesar, Mankurad, Mulgoa, Pairi

Orissa

Baneshan,
Langra, Neelum, Suvarnarekha and mostly seedling types

Punjab

Dashehari,
Langra, Chausa

Tamil Nadu

Banganpalli,
Bangalora, Neelum, Rumani, Mulgoa

Uttar
Pradesh

Bombay
Green, Dashehari, Fajri, Langra, Safeda Lucknow, Chausa

West Bengal

Bombai,
Himsagar, Kishan Bhog, Langra

Characteristics of important Indian
varieties

1. Alphonso : This
is the leading commercial variety of Maharashtra state and one of the choicest
varieties of the country. This variety is known by different names in
different regions, viz. Badami, Gundu, Khader, Appas, Happus and Kagdi
Happus. The fruit of this variety is medium in size, ovate oblique in shape
and orange yellow in colour. The fruit quality is excellent and keeping
quality is good. It has been found good for canning purpose. It is a mid
season variety

2. Bangalora : It is
a commercial variety of south India. The fruit size is medium to large, its
shape is oblong with necked base and colour is golden yellow. Fruit quality is
poor. Keeping quality is very good. It is widely used for processing. It is a
mid season variety.

3. Banganpalli: It
is a commercial variety of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and also known as
Chapta, Safeda, Baneshan and Chaptai. Fruit is large in size and obliquely
oval in shape. The colour of the fruit is golden yellow. Fruit quality and
keeping quality are good. It is a mid season variety and is good for canning.

4. Bombai : It is a
commercial variety from Bihar state. It is also known as Malda in West Bengal
and Bihar. Fruit size is medium, shape ovate-oblique and colour yellow. Fruit
quality and keeping quality are medium. It is an early season variety.

5. Bombay Green : It
is commonly grown in north India due to its early ripening habit. It is also
called Malda in Northern India. Fruit size is medium, shape ovate oblong and
fruit colour is spinach green. Fruit quality is good and keeping quality is
medium. It is a very early variety.

6. Dashehari : This
variety derives its name from the village Dashehari near Lucknow. It is a
leading commercial variety of north India and one of the best varieties of our
country. The fruit size is medium, shape is oblong to oblong oblique and fruit
colour is yellow. Fruit quality is excellent keeping quality is good. It is a
mid season variety and is mainly used for table purpose.

7. Fajri : This
variety is commonly grown in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West
Bengal. Fruit is very large, obliquely oval in shape. Fruit colour is light
chrome. Fruit quality and keeping quality are medium. This is a late season
variety.

8. Fernnadin : This
is one of the oldest varieties of Bombay. Some people think that this variety
originated in Goa. Fruit size is medium to large, fruit shape is oval to
obliquely oval and fruit colour is yellow with a red blush on shoulders. Fruit
quality and keeping quality are medium. It is a late season variety mostly
used for table purpose.

9. Himsagar : This
variety is indigenous to Bengal. This is one of the choicest varieties of
Bengal and has gained extensive popularity. Fruit is of medium size, ovate to
ovate oblique. Fruit colour is yellow. Both fruit and keeping quality are
good. It is an early variety.

10. Kesar : This is
a leading variety of Gujarat with a red blush on the shoulders. Fruit size is
medium, shape oblong and keeping quality is good. It is an early variety.

11. Kishen Bhog :
This variety is indigenous to Murshidabad in West Bengal. Fruit size is
medium, fruit shape is roundish oblique and fruit colour is yellow. Fruit
quality and keeping quality are good. It is a mid season variety.

12. Langra : This
variety is indigenous to Varanasi area of Uttar Pradesh. It is extensively
grown in northern India. Fruit is of medium size, ovate shape and lettuce
green colour. Fruit quality is good. Keeping quality is medium. It is a mid
season variety.

13. Mankurad : This
variety is of commercial importance in Goa and in the neighbouring Ratnagiri
district of Maharashtra. The variety develops black spots on the skin in rainy
season. Fruit is medium in size, ovate in shape and yellow in colour. Fruit
quality is very good. Keeping quality is poor. It is a mid season variety.

14. Mulgoa : This is
a commercial variety of southern India. It is quite popular among the lovers
of mango owing to high quality of its fruit. Fruit is large in size, roundish
oblique in shape and yellow in colour. Fruit quality is very good. Keeping
quality is good. It is a late season variety.

15. Neelum : This is
a commercial variety indigenous to Tamil Nadu. It is an ideal variety for
transporting to distant places owing to its high keeping quality. Fruit is
medium in size, ovate oblique in shape and saffron yellow in colour. Fruit
quality is good and keeping quality is very good. It is a late season variety.

16. Chausa : This
variety originated as a chance seedling in the orchard of a Talukadar of
Sandila district Hardoi, U.P. It is commonly grown in northern parts of India
due to its characteristic flavour and taste. Fruit is large in size, ovate to
oval oblique in shape and light yellow in colour. Fruit quality is good
keeping quality is medium. it is a late variety.

17. Suvarnarekha :
This is a commercial variety of Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Other synonyms of this variety are Sundari, Lal Sundari. Fruit is medium in
size and ovate oblong in shape. Colour of the fruit is light cadmium with a
blush of jasper red. Fruit quality is medium and keeping quality is good. It
is an early variety.

18. Vanraj : It is a
highly prized variety of Vadodra district of Gujarat and fetches good returns.
Fruit is medium in size, ovate oblong in shape and colour is deep chrome with
a blush of jasper red on the shoulders. Fruit quality and keeing quality good.
It is a mid season variety.

19. Zardalu : This
variety is indigenous to Murshidabad in West Bengal. Fruit size is
medium, oblong to obliquely oblong and golden yellow in colour. Fruit quality
is very good. Keeping quality is medium. It is a mid season variety.

Hybrid Varieties

i) Amarapali : This
hybrid is from a cross of Dashehari x Neelum. It is dwarf, regular bearing and
late maturing variety. The variety is suitable for high density planting as
about 1600 plants may be planted in a hectare. It yields on an average 16
tonnes / hectare.

ii) Mallika : It is
from a cross of Neelum x Dashehari. Its fruit is large in size, oblong
elliptical and in shape cadmium yellow in colour. Fruit and keeping quality
are good. It is a mid season variety.

iii) Arka Aruna : It
is a hybrid between Baganpalli and Alphonso. It is dwarf regular bearing,
precocious. Fruits are large having attractive skin colour with red blush free
from spongy tissue.

iv) Arka Puneet :
It is a hybrid between Alphonso and Banganpalli. It regular and prolific
bearer. Fruits are medium sized having attractive skin colour with red blush
and free from spongy tissue. Excellent keeping quality.

v) Arka Anmol : This
hybrid is from a cron of Alphonso and Janardhan Pasand. It is regular bearer
and good yielder. Fruits are medium sized having uniform yellow peel colour,
excellent keeping quality and free from spongy tissue.

vi) Arka Neelkiran :
It is a hybrid between Alphonso and Neelum. It is , regular bearering late
season variety with medium sized fruits having attractive red blush free from
spongy tissue.

vii) Ratna : This
hybrid is from a cross of Neelum x Alphonso. Tree vigorous, precautions,
fruits are medium sized, attractive in colour and free from spongy tissue.

viii) Sindhu : It is
from a cross of Ratna x Alphonso. It is regular bearer, fruits medium sized,
free from spongy tissue with high pulp to stone ratio and very thin and small
stone.

ix) Au Rumani : It
is from a cross of Rumani x Mulgoa. It is precocious, heavy and regular
bearing with large fruits having yellow cadmium skin colour.

x) Manjeera : This
hybrid is from a cross of Rumani x Neelum. It is dwarf, regular and prolific
bearer with firm and fibre less flesh.